Feelings In A Nutshell
by Mrs.Dreyar
Summary: He slipped up. A big mistake. He hadn't intended to though. He loves her. So then what was he thinking! He had broke her heart. Why did he cheat on her? Does he deserve a second chance?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Ever since the GMG ended, Laxus and Lucy had started dating and have been together for six months now. They had been giving each other the looks all the while during the games so when they got back to Magnolia, Laxus built up his courage and decided to ask her out on a date, which Lucy happily agreed to. That was how it started. Laxus and Lucy fell in love. They were so happy with each other. However, they kept their relationship a secret. As much as they loved their family and friends, they didn't want them meddling in their love life. They didn't want Mira daydreaming about blonde haired babies, definitely didn't want Master constantly talking about marriage and grandchildren, neither did they want Team Natsu threatening Laxus or even trying to kill him. The only three people who knew about them were Levy, Erza and Cana, Lucy's best friends. Though Erza's first thoughts were of maybe impaling Laxus once or twice but Lucy had made her promise not to hurt him and not to tell anyone about the couple. Levy, on the other hand, was quite ecstatic for her best friend since she knew about Lucy's major crush on Laxus ever since the Tenrou incident. Cana had, as usual, teased her and made some perverted comments while patting Lucy on her back and congratulating her for landing a hottie like Laxus.

* * *

Everything was going perfectly fine until one day, while Team Natsu were away on a mission Master Makarov calls them up through the communication lacrima and informs the team about an important mission that they needed to start working on immediately and to finish their on-going mission as soon as possible. They weren't supposed to be back until the next day however Master had told them to return to Magnolia the same day itself. So later that evening after they got back, they went to the guild first where Master explained to them about their upcoming mission in detail.

A while later, Lucy scans around the guild in search of her secret boyfriend but she couldn't find him. Thinking he could be at his place, she decides to pay him a visit after talking to her team mates about the mission.

Erza turns around to face her team mates. "Alright! We'll meet up outside the guild tomorrow. 8:00 AM sharp. Any objection?"

Seeing as no one was arguing, Erza gives a firm nod. "Good. Now, go home and get rest. Do not be late tomorrow."

After telling Erza that she'd be going to visit Laxus and warning Natsu and Happy not to sneak into her room since she needed enough sleep and rest for their mission the next day, Lucy heads out towards her apartment. As she walks down the pavement, she absent-mindedly plays with her necklace while thinking about Laxus and then quickens her pace so she could see him sooner. After taking a relaxing shower, she dresses up; she wears a white summer dress with light blue sandals, puts on her necklace and leaves her hair open. She was now on her way to her boyfriend's place and was happily humming along the way.

Reaching her destination, she knocks on the door and waits for quite sometime. Not getting any response, she proceeds to knock again when a panting Laxus opens the door. He was shirtless with only his boxers on. Lucy eyes him warily but quickly shoves it aside since she was happy to see him.

"Hey Laxus." Lucy smiles sweetly at him which still made the guy's stomach flutter in happiness.

Ignoring the butterfly feeling inside his gut, Laxus gulps and widen his eyes in panic to see his girl standing infront of him. "L-Lucy, I thought you were away on a mission."

Lucy frowns slightly and furrows her eyebrows. Something didn't seem right. She knew. She could just see the panic in Laxus' eyes but she decided to ignore it and act like she didn't notice his discomfort.

Lucy beams at him and stands tiptoes to kiss him on his cheek. "Yeah but I'm back. I just thought I'd come see you. I missed you. We had to return today itself since Mas.."

"Laxus, who's at the door?" Lucy's words were cut mid-sentence by a very familiar voice which came from inside the house.

Laxus stood shell-shocked by the door; he watches silently as a look of confusion crosses over his girl's pretty face.

"Is that..?" As Lucy suspects whose voice it was, she looks up at Laxus to see him sweating and looking anywhere else but at her. She wonders why the girl would be at his place at this hour and why her boyfriend seemed so scared. And why the hell was he half-naked! Lucy widens her eyes as realization dawns on her and gapes at Laxus in disbelief. _No! He wouldn't! They wouldn't!_

Laxus felt a wave of panic. His heart broke seeing so many raw emotions clearly showing on her face. Shock. Hurt. Betrayal. Pain. "Lucy, it's not wha..."

"Babe, come back to bed." The voice calls out again. It was nearer this time. Laxus snaps his eyes shut and gnashes his teeth. _Fuck!_

Tears rolls down her cheeks, as Lucy now knew why the girl was at her boyfriend's place and was sure who she was. One of her best friend. _So it is Cana!_ A sob emits from her throat, however, she quickly covers her mouth with her hand to stifle it.

Just then, Cana comes into view as she walks down the stairs wearing nothing but a robe. Coming to a sudden halt behind Laxus, she widens her eyes in shock seeing the person by the door. Lucy was staring back at her with tearful eyes, looking broken and betrayed.

"L..Lucy!" Cana whispers with guilt laced in her voice. She didn't know what to say. 'I'm sorry I slept with your boyfriend, please forgive me?' She had betrayed and hurt Lucy, her best friend, and broken her trust. The girl who was there for her when she was a mess and then helped her reconcile with her father.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy readies herself for the next question she was about to ask. She needed to know one last thing even though she knew the answer might break her more if that was even possible. She shifts her gaze back at Laxus. "H..How long?" She asks in a low voice as she wipes away her tears with her trembling hands.

Laxus was dreading and feeling helpless. "Babe, please lis..."

"How long?" Lucy cuts in between and repeats her question. "Atleast be honest for once."

Laxus could hear his own heartbeat drumming out loud in his ears. "A month!" He whispers and looks down and away in shame.

Lucy nods, suddenly feeling very tired. She then slowly turns around and starts walking away.

Laxus follows her. "Baby!" When Lucy kept walking, Laxus grabs her arm and spins her around to look at him. "Lucy, please let me explain."

"No." She snaps at him. "There's nothing to explain."

A loud thunder roars and lightning begins to streak across the dark clouds, signaling a storm. Rain starts pouring down heavily as the two stands in silence for a moment. They were both thoroughly drenched now; Lucy's clothes were clinging to her body and her hair was dripping wet. Yanking her arm away from his hold, she puts a good distance between them. She then takes off the necklace Laxus had bought for her on their third date, dropping it to the wet ground and turns her back to him.

"We're through!" She mutters out and takes a shaky breath. "Goodbye Laxus!" With that, Lucy walks away, crying leaving an utterly shocked Laxus rooted on the spot.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ _ **: So recently I read a story in which Laxus was a total dick! Don't get me wrong.. I'm a die hard Lalu fan...but his character in that story really pissed me off. So this idea for a story kinda just popped up. It's normal, right? Or is it just me?! :/ Oh well! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.**_

 _ **Please read and review!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, Laxus would be head over heels for Lucy.. :D**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Lucy was trying hard not to cry, to stop the tears from flowing. She couldn't take it. The pain in her chest. It felt like someone was trying to carve out her heart. The man she thought was her soulmate had cheated on her. With one of her close friend, of all the women. She felt disgusted, betrayed, angry and hurt. With the harsh rain falling down, Lucy made her way to Fairy Hills. Laxus would look for her and the first place he'd check would be her apartment. She really didn't want to see him now.

Sobbing uncontrollably, Lucy knocks on the door and after few seconds, Erza opens it. She stares at Lucy in horror. The Celestial mage was soaking wet, looking like a drenched kitten.

Erza quickly pulls her inside and holds the crying girl in a tight embrace. "Lucy, what's wrong?" She asks, worried.

Feeling Lucy shaking, she quietly takes her up to her room. Erza then wraps a blanket around the blonde who was silently weeping. Erza suspected it to have something to do with Laxus so she quickly calls Levy. Said girl enters the room and rushes to her best friend's side, hugging her.

"Lu-chan, what happened?"

Lucy finally looks up at her two best friends with red puffy eyes. "Laxus.. He.." She whispers in between her sobs. "Laxus.. Cana.." Lucy covers her face with her hands and cries.

Erza and Levy widens their eyes in shock. It didn't take a genius to understand what Lucy was trying to say. As the two girls put two and two together, they come up with the same conclusion. Lucy had seen Laxus and Cana together. Now Erza and Levy knew Lucy very well. She wouldn't be this upset and react this way if she had just seen them talking or even hugging. No, something big had happened that broke their friend. Erza was clenching her fists in pure rage. She would make Laxus pay for making Lucy cry but first, she needed to know what happened in detail and be there for her best friend.

"Lucy, tell us what happened." Erza speaks in a very soft tone.

Lucy wipes her tears and lets out a shaky breath. "Laxus has been cheating on me and sleeping with Cana for a month now." A sob threatened to emit from her throat but she shoves it down. "Can I sleep here tonight? I know Laxus will be waiting for me at my apartment and I really don't wanna see him right now."

"Ofcourse you can." Erza assures her.

Lucy nods thankfully. "Thanks. I'll send Virgo to pack my clothes for tomorrow before Laxus gets there." She then proceed to summon the maid spirit who appears in a flash of golden light. After asking Virgo to pack for her mission and bring it over, the spirit nods her consent, bows and vanishes.

* * *

Laxus falls to his knees with both his hands tugging his hair hard. He grinds his teeth, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. _Fuck! What have I done!_ He mentally screams. Lucy had left him and also for right reasons. Tears falls as he dwells on the fact that Lucy had broken off with him and they were no longer together. Refusing to give up, Laxus quickly gets off the ground and rushes back to his house. He had to see her, apologize and make it upto her, tell her not to leave him. He simply ignores Cana who stood frozen, still staring at the spot where Lucy was when she saw her, with her own tears spilling; regretting for hurting and betraying her best friend. What was she thinking! Assuring herself that Lucy would never find out. Newsflash! She just did.

Laxus puts on a shirt and pant in a hurry and lightning teleports himself to Lucy's place. However, there was no one at her apartment. He dashes off to the streets and begins searching for her, trying to catch her scent but was finding difficulty in doing so because of the rain. After searching for hours, he returns to Lucy's apartment deciding to wait for her there. As he reaches her front door, the scent of Lucy's maid spirit hits his nose. He rushes inside the room but finds no one. Virgo's scent was still lingering in the room, fresh, which only meant she had been there not too long ago. Groaning, Laxus sits on the couch with his head down as he waits for Lucy to show up.

* * *

Changing into her pajamas Virgo had brought for her, Lucy's mind wanders back to the time when Laxus had asked her out on a date after the games.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _She was walking back to her apartment after a tiresome party at the guild when she was pulled inside an alleyway. Lucy gasps and was about to scream murder when she notices a familiar coat under the dim moonlight._

 _"L..Laxus?" She stutters in question._

 _"H..Hey Blondie!" Laxus gives her a small smile and scratches the back of his head nervously. "I was..uh...I was wondering if you..you..."_

 _Lucy blushes finally noticing Laxus' arms around her waist. Steeling herself, she glances up at him. "If I?" she questions._

 _"Ifyouwouldliketogooutonadatewithme?" He blurts out in one breath._

 _"Huh?" Lucy tilts her head to the side in confusion._

 _Laxus takes a deep breath. "I was wondering if you would like to go out on a date with me?" He mutters out._

 _Lucy was speechless. She couldn't believe that the man she had been crushing on was asking her out on a date. She wanted to scream 'Yes, yes, yes, I do' but couldn't find her voice. She watches as Laxus gulps and a terrified, pleading look crosses his eyes. Feeling his grip loosen around her waist, her hand quickly shoots out to grab his arm._

 _"Yes." She smiles sweetly at him with red cheeks. "Yes, I would love to!" Lucy could feel his rigid body instantly relax as he lets out a sigh and smiles._

 _"Alright. I'll pick you up tomorrow at your place. Is 6 okay for you?" Lucy nods enthusiastically causing Laxus to chuckle at her reaction._

 _"See you, Blondie!" Laxus calls out as he starts walking away._

 _"See ya, Laxus!" Lucy was too happy to even retort back at him for calling her 'Blondie'._

Lucy smiles sadly as she recalls how she danced around her room and screamed with happiness, her pillow covering her mouth to muffle the noise, after her encounter with Laxus that night; the nervous feeling while she waited for him to pick her up the next day and then when she saw him, the way the man took her breath away. Letting out a soft sob, she wipes her tears and walks out the bathroom, joining the girls in the room.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ _ **: Well, there you have it. Chapter 2 complete! :D**_

 _ **Please read and review :)**_

 _ **Kelly**_ _ **\- Thank you. :) I will try to update more in time.**_

 _ **Katelyn**_ _ **\- Thank you! I will take your advice into consideration. :)**_

 _ **Lalu fan**_ _ **\- Thank you so much! :)**_

 _ **kurahieiritr JIO**_ _ **\- I couldn't agree with you more. I've come across many stories in which Lucy is an emotional wreck, depicting her to be weak in every aspect and the way she shows her emotions clearly for everyone to see whenever she sees the person who supposedly broke her heart. Honestly, I hate it! So I'm gonna portray her strong at heart, in control of her emotions and ofcourse, Laxus and Cana will get the well-deserved silent treatment from her.**_

 _ **sen whitefox mako red demon**_ _ **\- (Mako) Lol! I agree. It's just that...I was too excited and so I updated right away without a second thought. Oh well! :D**_

 _ **Fiery Shorti**_ _ **\- Thank you and I will continue. Hope you liked this chapter. :)**_

 _ **klr14**_ _ **\- xD I will!**_

 _ **MarSofTheGalaxies**_ _ **\- Well, Cana is one of her best friend in this story so I just thought, 'why not!' And Mira is just too sweet to make her the bad person. Also I kinda ship her only with Freed so... :D And yeah, not quite sure yet but it's either gonna be Laxus, Natsu or Sting.**_

 _ **chrdonr**_ _ **\- I hope you like the story so far :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Erza and Levy quietly watches Lucy, worried. She was sitting on the floor and looking up at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts. They glance at each other as if having a telepathic conversation, wondering what to say to her, how to make her feel better, when Lucy suddenly speaks up, startling them.

"It's funny how often 'forever' seems to never last." She whispers with a sad smile.

"Lucy." Erza stares at her with concern. "You can talk to us. You know that, right?"

"Yeah Lu-chan, we're here for you." She then leans towards Lucy. "Do you want to bitch about them?" She asks in a rather serious tone, Erza nodding in agreement.

Lucy laughs, amused by her friends' behavior. All of a sudden, she lets out a sob mid-laughter. "I saw them with my own eyes and yet, here I am, still finding it hard to believe."

Her friends sat in silence as they wait for her to continue. Lucy then decides to let it all out once and for all. And that would be end of it. No matter the pain, she needed to try and move on, close that chapter in her life. What's done is done! She knew her true friends would always be there for her so with that thought, as vulnerable as she may seem, she opens up and cries to her heart's content. One last time!

"I loved him with all my heart. Turns out, I was only being delusional. I just don't want to accept what had happened. Because as soon as I accept it, it becomes real. And once it becomes real, so does the pain." Lucy clenches her chest and weeps. "But...But I'm accepting it now. I have to. And it hurts so fucking much! It hurts, dammit! Make it stop!" Her voice slowly dies down, barely a whisper. Accepting reality and admitting the truth was harder than she anticipated.

Erza and Levy crawls towards her and hugs her. "Oh Lucy!" Levy sobs as she holds her tightly.

Lucy felt completely and utterly lost. It felt as if her entire world was pulled from underneath as it crumbled. It was the worst feeling in the world. She didn't know where to go from here. Laxus had been cheating on her for a month but she was so happy, she became too blind to see anything wrong. Were there signs? Perhaps she was too much in love with him to notice?

"Why would they do this to me? Laxus knows that Cana is dear to me and Cana very well knew how much I love Laxus." Lucy wipes her eyes and stares at the two girls. "So then why? What did I ever do to them?"

Erza frowns. "Lucy, you know it's not you. It isn't your fault." She scolds her.

All Lucy wanted to do was run away, find a place to hide from the world. But she wouldn't do that. She was stronger than what most people thought her to be-a delicate darling and a damsel in distress. She knew the hardest part was going to be letting go of him. Just because he cheated on her doesn't necessarily mean she would stop caring for him. She was angry and hurt, yes, but she still loved him even though he broke her heart. However, she would get through this and figure out a way to keep going. It may take time but she would put herself back together again. And maybe when she was ready, she'd give them a chance to explain themselves. But nothing more! She didn't know if she could forgive them anytime soon or return the way it was before.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, Loki and Virgo were listening in on them. The former had been at the Celestial Realm when he felt Lucy's distress. He was about to visit her when a gloomy Virgo appears from her gate.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Hime?" Loke asks in panic.

However, Virgo wasn't really paying attention to Loke since she didn't see him. She was busy eavesdropping.

"Virgo!"

The maid spirit looks towards the voice to see an irritated Loke staring at her. She simply shushes him with a wave and calls him over.

"What are y..?" Before he could complete his sentence, Virgo cuts in.

"Listen!" She whispers, pointing towards her slightly ajar door.

Loki widens his eyes as he listens to Lucy talk and cry. He was stunned. Lucy had been dating Laxus and he didn't know. In fact, no one did except for Lucy's best friends. He listens with undivided attention as Lucy explains everything to Erza and Levy. Finally getting over his shock, his anger starts rising as he slams his clenched fist into the wall and glares at the door like it was the enemy.

"That bastard!" He growls out. "How dare he hurt my Princess and make her cry!" He then disappears in a flash of golden light.

* * *

After wallowing in sadness and anger for hours and pouring her heart out to her friends, Lucy finally calmed down.

"I thought Cana and Bacchus were in a serious relationship." comments Levy.

Erza strokes her chin while nodding her head. "I thought so too."

"Say Lucy?!" The blonde hums in response. "Are you gonna tell him? Bacchus I mean!" asks Levy.

Lucy was confused. "Why should I?"

"You know...revenge?!" Erza speaks up, as she had wondered the same.

"No." Lucy shrugs slightly. "I wouldn't stoop that low. Also, I wash my hands of that mess. Let her deal with it! The truth always comes out eventually. All we need to do is keep our mouth shut and our eyes open."

"Yeah, that's for the best. But really, I didn't expect this from Cana." Levy confesses, totally flabbergasted. She was right. None of them would've thought Cana, of all the people, would betray Lucy.

Caught up in her thoughts, Erza had the urge to go to Lucy's apartment that very minute since she knew Laxus would be there. She wanted to introduce him properly to her fists and swords, however, she couldn't. Lucy didn't want to see him and Laxus would know she's at the girls' dorm if she went to her place now. Fighting the want, she shakes her head from side to side almost violently, chanting the words 'not tonight' in her head repeatedly.

Levy and Lucy stares at her weirdly. "Erza, you okay?" asks Lucy.

"Yea. I'm fine! Anyway, we should get some sleep. It's already past 12 and we need to get up early for our mission." informs Erza.

Nodding, Levy hugs them both and goes back to her room while Erza and Lucy arranges the bed to sleep. As they lie inside the blanket comfortably, Erza turns to her side to see Lucy with a look of pain in her eyes that she fails miserably to hide.

"Lucy, I'm here for you okay?" Erza smiles warmly at her.

"Thanks Erza. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Lucy!"

With the disturbing memory of Laxus and Cana still fresh in her mind, Lucy drifts off into a restless sleep.

* * *

Laxus was pacing back and forth along the room as he cursed under his breath; thoughts running through his head as quickly as his feet were moving. He was so angry at himself. He didn't mean for things to go out of hand. It was only supposed to be a one night stand due to making bad decision while he was in a state of inebriation. He had no excuse for what he had done. Laxus releases a tired sigh and sank into the couch, waiting for his beautiful girl to come home. _Ex girlfriend._ Corrects a voice in his head. Rubbing his temples as he could feel a massive headache growing, he sighs for the umpteenth time that night.

Laxus had his head facing down the floor when out of the corner of his eyes, he sees a flash of shimmering light appear before him. He snaps his head up so fast the pop of his neck joints could be heard. Standing in front of him was a furious Loke glaring down at him with pure hatred. Laxus knew what the spirit wanted so he slowly gets off the couch but before he could utter a word, Loke delivers a brutal punch straight to his jaw, a sound of crack followed.

Laxus knew he deserved it and much more so he doesn't fight back. "Where's Lucy?" He asks.

Another hit to his face was all the response he got. He wipes the blood dripping from his mouth and stares at Loke.

"You got some nerve asking me about her after what you did to her." Loke clenches his fists, itching to hit the guy again but restrains himself.

Laxus growls in anger. He only wanted to know where Lucy was. He needed to speak to her. He didn't need some guy lecturing him when he needed to find her now. "It's none of your fucking business!"

Well, that did it. Loke punches him again. "It is my business now. You made her cry. You don't even deserve her tears." He yells at him, losing his temper.

Laxus stumbles up to his feet, wiping his mouth. He knew Loke was right. He looks at him, a pained look in his eyes. "I just need to speak to her once. Please tell me where she is!"

"No. She does not want to see you." Loke responses instantly. He eyes the guy for a moment and speaks, "By the look on your face, you're not happy with what you did and you are regretting."

Laxus winces, before averting his eyes down in shame. He couldn't hold Loke's stern gaze, after all the guy was stating whatever he was feeling.

"You've made your bed. Time for you to lie in it!" With that said, Loke disappears in a flash; his words only making Laxus feel more miserable than he already was.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ _ **: So chapter 3 is done :) Please read and review~**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **jfkkennedy**_ _ **\- I know what you mean. And yes, I agree but there might be some people who may think Laxus deserves another chance with their own explanations like you did. So I'm gonna look into everyone's reasonings and then decide.**_

 _ **kerippi**_ _ **\- Thank you. :)**_

 _ **Fiery Shorti**_ _ **\- That..I will let you guys decide after Sting makes his appearance which will be soon now. ;)**_

 _ **Katelyn**_ _ **\- I'm not sure if Natsu will be like her brother or another knight..in a 'flaming' armor trying to win her over. So let's see! And thank you for reviewing. :)**_

 _ **KingCreations**_ _ **\- I'm glad you like this story. Do keep reading and reviewing :D**_

 _ **gin**_ _ **\- She may forgive but she won't care about them if she decides to move on. Let's see if Sting or Natsu can make her fall for one of 'em?! :D**_

 _ **sen whitefox mako red demon**_ _ **\- (Mako) So Loke surely got some action there. Though it wasn't much. Hm! Also, I'll go into details of how Laxus and Cana started their little arrangement in the later chapters. And thank you :)**_

 _ **klr14**_ _ **\- Oh thank you! :) And I updated it as soon as I could. Hope you liked it!**_

 _ **kurahieiritr JIO**_ _ **\- Erza will totally make him pay and Levy, too, will be giving Cana a piece of her own mind.**_

 _ **Lalu fan**_ _ **\- For Lalu pairing, let's see if Lucy can get past the betrayal and forgive Laxus, enough to give him another chance. I love Laxus and Lucy pairing too but he cheated on Lucy! *sighs***_

 _ **Aipom4**_ _ **\- Haven't thought about it yet but Lucy's not gonna make it easy for him or Cana.**_

 _ **Lady Beatriz**_ _ **\- Hey! A longer chapter. :)**_

 _ **Junebug**_ _ **\- It's either gonna be Nalu, Sticy or Lalu. Natsu has high chances too.**_

 _ **Thank you for reading and reviewing, guys. :)**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

The next day Erza and Lucy were walking towards the guild to meet up with the rest of the team. Lucy had been unusually quiet since morning and Erza was beginning to worry for her friend.

"Lucy?"

"Hm?" Lucy hums in response, halfheartedly.

"Do you wish to sit this one out? I'll talk to Master and I'm sure the team won't mind."

"Don't worry Erza. I'm fine!" Lucy bit her lower lip and swallows. With a shake of her head, she whispers, "I need some time away from here anyway."

Nodding her head, Erza smiles and links her arm with Lucy's, dragging her towards their friends waiting outside the guild. As usual, Natsu and Gray were fighting while Wendy was trying and failing to break them off.

Lucy lets out a soft giggle, amused by the sight infront of her. Erza sighs and slowly walks up to them, clapping her hands to get their attention. "Alright guys! Time to move out."

Natsu and Gray, unaware of Erza approaching them, continued fighting and accidentally hits Erza straight in the face. It was like time itself had stopped. Feeling the familiar dark aura near them, the bickering boys instantly drapes their arms around each other and starts laughing rather awkwardly. The next thing happened so fast, Natsu and Gray were lying on the ground unconscious with a furious Erza hovering above them. Lucy clamps her hand over her mouth as she tries to suppress her laughter. Leave it to her team to make her laugh albeit the problems.

The team were now inside the carriage on their way to the place where they'll be meeting the rest of the mages for the mission. Natsu was laying his head on Lucy's lap due to his motion-sickness; Wendy's magic had no affect on him anymore. The blonde was absent-mindedly running her fingers through Natsu's hair while looking outside the window with a distant look in her eyes. Gray had noticed the bags under her eyes the moment he woke up and began to wonder what had caused the girl to look so tired and dejected.

Gray nudges his elbow on her arm, instantly gaining her attention, "Everything alright, Luce?" He asks with concern.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, for one thing, you look like you haven't slept for days."

"Oh it's nothing. Just didn't get enough sleep last night." Lucy lets out a nervous laugh, causing Gray to narrow his eyes at her warily.

Ignoring his questioning eyes, Lucy shifts her gaze back to the passing scenery outside the window.

* * *

Laxus woke up with a sudden jolt and started scanning around the room but he couldn't find the girl he was looking for. He had dozed off on the couch the previous night waiting for Lucy to show up. He quickly put on his coat and took off in a hurry. As he reached the guild, he swung the doors open and began frantically searching for Lucy, ignoring the greetings from the members. However, neither Lucy nor her team were present at the guild. Noticing the weird looks directed at him, he simply grunts an acknowledgement towards them and walks up to his grandfather who was at the bar, drinking.

"Gramps!"

"Ah! Laxus. Good morning! You're here early." Makarov points out. Trying to look as calm as possible, Laxus sits beside him and asks Mira for a drink.

"Gramps, where is Team Natsu?" He asks, turning his face towards his grandfather. He notices the old man eyeing him in confusion for a moment but shrugs it off.

"You weren't here while I explained last night?" Makarov asks. Laxus shakes his head stiffly, remembering why he wasn't at the guild in the first place, recalling the previous night's incident.

"Explained what?"

"Well, I sent them on an important mission. At the regular meeting the other day, we discussed the recent activity by Seven Votum. As it is not something we can ignore, we decided that some guild has to fight them. This time the enemy is too powerful. And that is why we formed an alliance ourselves. With Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus. Each guild has sent out members to take down the dark guild." explains Master.

Laxus began worrying for Lucy. He knew she was strong and could handle whatever comes her way, still, he was worried. He loved her. Even though he cheated on her. He grits his teeth as his chest clenched tight in pain. "So when will they return?"

"That's the thing. We don't know. This guild, it's location is unknown. Neither do we know much about its members except that they're only seven of them, all exceptionally strong. So the alliance team first have to find the location of the guild." Makarov chugs down his beer audibly and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Who knows how long it'll take but hopefully sooner with the help of Hibiki and his Archive Magic."

Nodding, Laxus gulps his own drink down at once and goes in search of his team. If Lucy was going to be away for a while then he, too, would go on a long mission with his own team otherwise he'd go insane worrying and also regretting the despicable things he had done and reliving that night Lucy walked out of his life, over and over again. He needed to make a solid plan to get Lucy to listen to him and forgive him and it wasn't a one-day work. It wasn't going to be easy. He can't just up and spout out the first word that comes to his head without thinking, which he was pretty sure would be streams of apologies. He has to mean every word he says otherwise Lucy won't believe him and she'd really close the door on them then. He knew her too well to know that she was not the type to fall for stupid and lame excuses. He knew if he wanted her back, he would have to be honest with her. And if that's what it takes, his honesty, then so be it! And if she wanted time, he'd give her. Even though it would hurt, it wasn't anything compared to the pain he had caused her. He'd have to work really hard to win her back and he would, without a second thought. All that matters to him is that he loves her. _Even though you cheated on her._ Reminded the familiar voice in his head again.

Sighing, Laxus picks out a request from the board without looking and beckons his team over to inform them about their mission. Pushing the paper into Freed's ready-to-receive hands so that the green haired man could go over it, Laxus mutters out the time to meet up and leaves the guild looking rather disheartened.

* * *

The team finally arrives the meeting place, Blue Pegasus guild, now standing outside before the large mansion. Lucy braces herself. She had to stop thinking about her own problems which may jeopardize their mission. She couldn't put her friends in danger by spacing out and not giving her all during the job. She didn't need to worry her friends by being sad and down. At least now wasn't the right time. Master had trusted them with the mission and she would fight along side her friends wholeheartedly without being distracted. With that resolved, she nods to herself and strolls inside the building with the rest. They then notice the other members had already arrived and were waiting for them.

Sting was the first to notice them. "Natsu-san!" He rushes towards his idol with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Recovering from his motion sickness, Natsu returns the grin. "Yo Sting!"

Lucy and Yukino were chatting; the former excitedly telling her friend about the new keys she had acquired on her missions. Yukino listened intently with twinkling eyes; it was no secret, everyone knew she worshipped the older celestial mage and wished to be like her someday.

* * *

Sting had never really paid much attention to Fairy Tail's beloved Lucy Heartifilia before but as he watches her converse with Yukino, he notices the way she moved with such grace, her beauty, her perfect body, the way she talks, laughs and her lovely smile making his stomach flutter. Cursing, he looks away and scolds himself for staring at the girl and.. Wait! Why the fuck was his face heating up? Oh no no! He was a ladies man, for God's sake, girls throw themselves at him and not the other way 'round. And he sure as hell wasn't the type to be tied down by one woman.

Sighing, Sting turns to talk to Natsu-san when he notices Rogue staring at him with what looked like a small smirk, having seen the way his partner eyed the blonde beauty. He then slowly strides towards Sting.

"I thought you'd end up marrying _your_ Natsu-san." Rogue mutters out in amusement, emphasizing the word 'your'. "Apparently, you seem to prefer someone else?!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Sting asks, trying to feign innocence.

Rogue lets out a soft snort and heads to where Lucy was now standing and talking to Natsu and Gray. As they greeted each other and talked among themselves, they hear a sudden shriek and everyone snaps their head towards the noise to see Erza with a spear on her hand trying to pry Ichiya away who was chasing her trying to smell her 'parfum'.

Laughing at the sight, Sting then joins his partner, all the while trying to ignore the weird feeling in his gut when Lucy smiled at him.

"Hello, Sting!"

The blond male winks at the girl and grins, "Hello, Blondie!"

Lucy flinches. Laxus calls her Blondie. So much for needing time away to forget about him. She sighs then gives Sting a small glare. "You're blonde as much!" She retorts back with a smirk.

Sting laughs; the girl was feisty and he liked it. Though he could've sworn he saw her tensed up when he called her Blondie. Shrugging, he decides to let it go.

Lucy suddenly feels a shiver running up her spine and looks down to see Ichiya sniffing her.

*sniff*sniff* "What a lovely parfum, Lucy-san!"

She squeaks loudly in fright and flings herself to Natsu's side in impulse, gripping his shirt tightly. The boy holds her protectively as Gray steps infront of his shivering sister, glaring daggers at the sniffing pervert.

"Stop sniffing our princesses." Gray snarls out in disgust.

"How dare you speak rudely to our Boss!" The Trimens stands up for their leader, who was now tangling by the tip of Erza's spear.

Sting was amused. He watched from the sidelines with Rogue as the Fairy Tail members readies to fight to protect their 'princesses', as Gray had named the girls, from the perverts. His gaze lingers a little longer on Natsu and Lucy. The girl was still in Natsu's arms as the boy held her close to him while Happy teased them relentlessly. He stares with an unsettling feeling inside his gut and frowns. He should be happy for Natsu-san. _If_ they were an item as he assumed. Letting out a forced laughter, Sting watches as the men continued fighting not noticing Yukino and Rogue looking at each other then back at him, smirking all along.

* * *

 _ **A/N : Chapter 4 complete! Liked it? Please read and review. :)**_

 _ **So uhm..honestly, I've never imagined Lucy and Bacchus as a couple. It is a rarity, indeed. I also see that many of you guys want Natsu to be the bestfriend/brother and not the lover. So I will take your advises into consideration and then decide. However, looks like Natsu is in the lead.**_

 _ **Based on reviews and pm, here is who's leading:**_

 _ **Natsu - 5**_

 _ **Sting- 3**_

 _ **Bacchus- 2**_

 _ **Laxus- 1**_

 _ **Rogue- 1**_

 _ **Anyway guys, Sting has finally made his appearance and I've made the poll so I guess the poll vote starts?! And I'll be only counting votes from the poll. So please vote which pairing you want the most! On my profile page!~ (Ah! :D 'poll' and 'vote' used repeatedly! Gomen!)**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, reviewing and favoriting. :)**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Erza, who still had the perverted sniffing weirdo tangling mid-air, looks around the hall. The sight before her made her peeved; the boys were at each other's throat except for Sting and Rogue while the rest of the girls were standing on the sidelines looking bored as ever after trying and failing to break the fight off.

Having enough of the chaos, she yanks Ichiya off her spear and drops him on the floor, "That's enough!" She shouts in a stern voice, ceasing the fight at once.

"We are making an alliance to defeat Seven Votum! This is not the time to be fighting among ourselves." The scary look on her face made all the boys tremble with fright; gulping as they nod vehemently.

Erza hums in satisfaction, "Now that all three guilds have gathered..Hibiki, you can go ahead and explain the plan."

"Alright!" Every head turns towards Hibiki as he starts explaining, "Zonia, otherwise known as the Sacred Mountain, spreads out from the outskirts of Fiore to the north. That's where the unusual activities have been sensed recently. Our guild is near the mountain so it won't take much time for us to reach there. I've only been able to gather a handful of information till now but it's enough to give us a clue where to start searching for them. We have 12 on our side. They have 7. However we can't underestimate them. Those seven are all incredibly powerful based on the very little information I have on them." announces Hibiki as he activates his Archive Magic.

Seven pictures flashes infront of the group, "These are the pictures of them we finally obtained recently." The screen instantly shifts to show the faces of two of the members of Seven Votum, "The girl is Kagami. She uses Mirror Magic. The other person is Arashi; he uses Storm Magic. He can manipulate the weather and has control over winds, clouds and lightning." Wendy's ears perks up at the last piece of information.

Next image was of two young boys; one with grey hair and the other had blond hair, "These two are Rin and Lucius. The grey-haired boy, Rin, is the Ice God Slayer and the blonde is the Water Dragon Slayer." Everyone was surprised, especially the dragon slayers. Apparently, there were few more Slayers out there who had decided to make their existence known only now.

"This is Fuzen. He uses Blood Magic. He is not to be taken lightly. He can manipulate and control his opponent's blood." Another picture pops up, "This one's Kurai. He uses Darkness Magic. He is said to be the second strongest member."

As the previous picture fades, an image of a guy with dark blue hair and red piercing eyes appears, "His name is Kenshin. He is the leader of the Seven Votum whose power is said to be on par with the Wizard Saints though we don't have any information on his magic." Gasps of shock fills the air of the hall, unable to contain their surprise.

"Not much is known about them but something is better than nothing. Each of them holds magical power great enough to destroy an entire guild. That's why we'll use our numbers to our advantage." Hibiki snaps his fingers and the screen disappears, "All we have to do is find their base of operations. We believe that they have a base somewhere in the mountain. There is a cottage hidden deep inside the forest of Zonia, protected by some runes the Council made long ago. We will be staying there while we try and find out more about this guild. Also, before we go there, we have to first visit a bar called Devil's Bar located near the entrance of the Sacred Mountain." He notices the confusing and questioning gazes sent his way so he smiles and explains, "Another interesting information I've gathered is that the people there might have some knowledge about the Seven Votum."

The group was highly impressed with all the information he had obtained in just one day. Sending an approving nod towards Hibiki, Erza turns towards the newly formed light team.

"Now, let's get one this straight. First off, everyone will follow the strategy once planned and no one is to run off challenging them. Do not fight them alone under any circumstances. Make sure to have atleast two of us for everyone of them we face." Everyone shouts in agreement except for one person. Erza looks pointedly at Natsu who was looking anywhere but at her and whistling nervously while sweating. "No one is to run off and challenge them. Is that clear?" Erza repeats again.

"Natsu!" She growls out, irritated for not getting any response from the boy. The fire breather lets out a low unmanly squeak and hides behind Lucy, only poking his head out and looking at the red-haired girl to show that he was listening, "Do I make myself clear?"

He nods fervently, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Titania's wrath. Lucy snickers as she could see her partner sweating bullets, very much affected by Erza. Natsu pouts cutely making Lucy chuckle and ruffle his hair. No one seem to question their exchange, simply smiling at them since everyone knew they were best friends and partners; well, except for Sting who frowned upon watching the affection that held in both their eyes for each other.

"Alright then guys, let's give our all and complete this mission no matter how long it takes." Erza smiles towards everyone, "We are going to be stuck with each other from now on until we take them down so let's get along."

Everyone nods with smile on their faces, looking forward to whatever may come their way.

All of a sudden, sparkles began filling the air catching everyone's attention. They turn towards the light to see Ichiya striking poses, muttering 'mennn~' while his three fellow worshipers applauded with admiration. The rest sweatdrops and eyes them weirdly.

Ichiya then speaks up, "Well everyone, I will be parting with you and your lovely parfums here."

"You're not coming with us?" asks the girls in unison with relief laced in their voices much to the boys' amusement, minus the Trimens who hadn't noticed it. The girls tried to hide it, not wanting to make him feeling unwanted but they were just too happy to care and apparently, the man in question hadn't noticed it either. The girls were worried they won't get to sleep peacefully knowing if he was there, he might try to sneak into their bed and smell their parfum when they were asleep. Erza wanted to scream with glee but scolded herself not to jump to conclusion so soon. Ichiya hadn't exactly explained what he meant by 'parting with them' yet.

"No, my honeys~!" Ichiya drones out, creeping them out, "I only attended this meeting to see to it that everyone got along together. I will be informing the respected guild masters about the progress and the plan. I wish you good luck! ~Mennnn!~" And with one last strong whiff, the sniffing mage exited the building, leaving the members dumbstruck in his wake while the Trimens kept applauding for their 'sensei'.

Regaining her composure, Erza clears her throat, breaking the rest out of their stupor. "Right then, let's get going."

* * *

 **AT THE GUILD**

Cana was standing outside the guild waiting for Levy to show up; she couldn't talk to Lucy or Erza since they were away on a mission. She needed to talk to someone and fast. The guilt inside her was building up, slowly eating her away and she was afraid she might burst out any time. A while later, she sees Levy approaching but as she got near, the girl didn't even look her way and simply ignores her as she enters the guild. Cana heaves out a sad sigh and follows her inside.

When Levy saw Cana outside the guild, she couldn't help getting angry. She knew Cana was waiting for her. She was ready to give a piece of her own mind to the girl who hurt her best friend. Passing her by without even glancing her way, she enters the guild knowing Cana would follow her. She steps inside with a scowl on her face and makes a beeline to where Gajeel was sitting and staring at her with concern.

"Shrimp, everything okay?" asks Gajeel, as he took notice of her foul mood.

Levy doesn't reply as she sees Cana coming towards her from the corner of her eyes. With a huff, she slams her book down onto the table and stands up.

"I'll be right back." She mutters to Gajeel and heads down the back hallway towards the ladies room.

The iron dragon slayer raises an eyebrow as he watches Cana follow the angry petite girl, with a look guilt written on her face. Noticing the guy giving them weird looks, Cana gives him a small smile and silently follows Levi.

Once she was at the hallway, Levy turns around to see Cana coming to a stop before her. The latter fidgets under the harsh glare sent her way. Levy might be small but when she was angry, she was a ticking time bomb. Everyone knew that.

"Go on! What do you have to say for yourself?" Cana flinches, startled by the girl's stern voice.

"I...I.." She stammers, not knowing what to say. She wanted to talk to her but she had no idea how to start the conversation. She knew the four of them were close friends but Levy and Lucy were on a different level. They were soul sisters, the ultimate best friends for life. She understood why Levy was reacting the way she was.

Levy watches as many emotions crosses the girl's face. She sighs and looks straight in her eyes, "What were you thinking?"

Cana could clearly hear the disappointment in her voice. She felt ashamed. _What was I thinking?_ She questions herself.

"Levy, I.." Cana takes a deep breath and speaks up more clearly, "I always loved him." She blurts out. Levy widens her eyes in surprise. She wasn't expecting such a turn of event.

"I was always in love with Laxus even before Lucy came to the guild. But I couldn't tell him because I knew he would never return my feelings. So I was content with the way things were between us even if it was simply fooling around. But then Lucy came into the picture. One day, Laxus called me out and broke off our arrangement saying it wasn't right what we were doing and he didn't want to let things get awkward between us. I tried to show that I wasn't affected and agreed with his decision. Then the next thing I know, Lucy is telling us about Laxus and her being in a relationship." Cana lets out a sob, "It broke me. I watched as Laxus looked at Lucy the way I always wanted him to look at me. I had to watch them slowly fall in love but I couldn't do anything because Lucy had become one of my close friend."

Cana sighs and wipes her tears away as she continued talking, "Then Bacchus happened. He was able to numb the pain. He was able to take my mind off of Laxus and I was glad for that. After two months when he confessed his love for me, I realized I did like him so I accepted. Though I still loved Laxus, I was slowly starting to get over the whole Laxus and Lucy relationship and I was, too, happy with Bacchus." Her lips upturns into a small smile. Then as soon as it did, she frowns again, "Then last month when Lucy was away on a mission, I noticed how vulnerable and drunk Laxus was and I took advantage of it. I don't know why but I thought I could finally get him again even though I knew I had a man in my life who made me happy. I was too caught up with my selfish desires to realize that my one mistake could lead to this. But I was happy. I won't deny it. Yes, I regret for hurting Lucy but I don't regret for what I did with Laxus."

Levy stares at her in shock. _Did she just..Did she just say what I think she said?!_ Trying to contain her rage and not lash out at her, Levy shuts her eyes and inhales deeply to calm herself.

"Hurting Lucy? Aren't you forgetting someone else? What about Bacchus?" She then narrows her eyes at Cana, "I'm amazed at your boldness, Cana. You said so yourself, you watched them fall in love with each other. Yet you had the heart to break the trust of that one friend who had been always there for you and the man who loved you. You and I both know if you had just told Lucy, she would have never reciprocated Laxus and instead would've stopped herself from loving him any deeper. You knew how much she loved him. You saw the things she did for him. Yet you chose to be a selfish bitch and take him away from her." Levi growls out, surprising Cana with her harsh words. "I feel sorry for Bacchus too. You blindly threw away two important people from your life just because of your selfishness. I don't know if you're happy with it or not but you had a choice and you made you pick. Honestly Cana, I can't emphasize my disappointment in you. You don't realize your mistake yet but I hope you do before it's too late otherwise you'll end up alone."

Levy then starts walking away but stops in her track to see someone standing in the hallway with their head down. Noticing the person as Bacchus, she sends him a sad look when he looks up at her and leaves the hallway. Cana turns around and sees Bacchus staring at her with hurtful eyes. The man had come to the guild looking for his girl, only for his heart to be shattered when he found her and heard the things she had said.

Cana panics and takes a step towards him, "Bacchus.." But the guy simply turns around and walks away leaving the girl gaping in shock.

Little did they know, a certain barmaid had heard everything too, who was inside the store room along the hallway. She could feel her tears streaming down her cheeks; she couldn't even imagine what Lucy was going through right now. She just wished her team would help her heal in time and recover.

* * *

 _ **A/N : So what do you guys think?**_

 _ **I apologize it took a while to update this story. I had a little trouble with this chapter but I finished it finally. Also, the characters might seem a wee bit OOC. Hope you don't mind!**_

 _ **Alright so since I said I would be only counting the votes from the poll, here are the updates:**_

 _ **Sting- 12**_

 _ **Laxus- 9**_

 _ **Natsu- 5**_

 _ **Rogue- 4**_

 _ **Bacchus- 1**_

 _ **I'm thinking of closing the poll in a few days so that I can start writing the story, leaning more towards the pair.**_

 _ **Anyway, I would like to thank you guys for all the reviews, follows and favorites. It certainly makes a writer's day. ^_^ Thank you so much! I love you guys!**_

 _ ***hugs***_

 _ **Please read and do keep the reviews coming! :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

 **AT THE GUILD**

Levy returns to the hall and plunks down on the chair beside Gajeel. Heaving out an exasperated sigh, she rests her elbows on the table and drops her forehead into her palm. She still couldn't believe what Cana had said to her, apart from the shocking revelation about her being in love with Laxus. Remembering the girl's confession about not regretting her selfish act brings out new waves of anger rising within her. Cana had hurt Lucy intentionally. Levy didn't know if she could ever forgive the girl if it had been her who she betrayed. She felt another surge of rage as she imagines herself being in Lucy's shoes; Cana trying to take her grumpy, sturdy dragon slayer away from her. The feeling of her heart clenching in pain just by the imagination has her pondering over with worry, wondering how Lucy was taking it all since she had faced the nightmare for real.

A few seconds later, from the corner of her eyes, she sees Bacchus hurriedly walking out the guild with Cana running after him. Thankfully, the guild was too busy to notice the unusual sight. Levy then lets out a groan in annoyance and lifts her head to see Gajeel gaping at her with raised eyebrows.

She narrows her eyes at him in realization and frowns. "Were you eavesdropping?"

Not wanting to get hit in the face by her thick book or her small purse which may magically appear, Gajeel lifts his hands in defense. "It's not my fault I have sensitive hearing."

Levi sighs and waves it off, "Just don't mention it to anyone." She simply states, knowing Gajeel wasn't one to gossip anyway. She then leans towards the guy and mutters, "Have you seen Laxus?"

Gajeel grunts, "He came in early this morning. I think he went on a mission with his team. I saw Freed signing off a request from the she-demon."

Nodding, Levy opens her book and flips through the pages absent-mindedly, wondering what the guy was up to. She just hopes Laxus won't go searching for Lucy and make things worse for the girl.

* * *

 **OUTSKIRTS OF MAGNOLIA**

It has been several hours since the Raijinshuu left the guild. The group was already on the outskirts of Magnolia and the entire way, Laxus haven't uttered a single word. Evergreen, along with Bickslow, wordlessly follow their leader, letting Freed do the talking. The fairy mage was barely holding onto her patience but when the Rune mage's questions went unacknowledged yet again, Evergreen decides she has had enough of the brooding atmosphere. She was beginning to feel as though they were talking to a brick wall.

Evergreen stops dead in her tracks and folds her arms below her chest. "So help me God, if you don't talk to us and tell us what's going on, I won't take any step further, Laxus!" She firmly states, catching Laxus' attention. Freed and Bickslow stares at the girl like she had grown a third head.

The lightning dragon slayer, however, simply pauses for a moment before he starts walking ahead again.

"Laxus. . . This is about Lucy, isn't it?" Evergreen's statement brings Laxus to a standstill, confirming the girl's concerning doubts.

Seeing that she has finally gained his full attention, she continues. "You may think you've got us fooled but we're not stupid. We always knew about your relationship with Lucy."

"H-How?" Laxus turns around to face his team.

"You and Lucy are not very good at sneaking around, Laxus!" Freed says with a small apologetic smile.

"Laxus!" Gaining the confidence, Bickslow speaks next with a serious look. Quite an unusual sight even for Laxus, seeing as the Seith mage is always fooling around with his tattooed tongue dangling. "Would you please tell us what's bothering you? Don't you trust us?"

Three pairs of concerned eyes pins him in his spot and Laxus feels all his energy drain. All the frustration and the guilt inside eating him away and he knows if he doesn't let it all out, he might combust.

Letting out a dejected sigh, Laxus settles down on a fallen tree trunk. His team follows suit and patiently waits for their leader to speak.

What has his life come to? Laxus rubs his face in aggravation. Deciding to get it over with quickly, he speaks. "I cheated on her. And she found out." His voice slowly losing its strength by the end of the statement. Just saying it out loud left a foul taste in his mouth.

Laxus waits for the oncoming lashes from his team mates for hurting their guild's beloved Celestial Mage. Believe it or not, even the Raijinshuu were protective of the blonde beauty. Everyone was. So imagine his surprise when all he hears are collective sighs instead of the reprimands like he had been expecting.

"So she found out about Cana, huh!" Evergreen muttered sadly. It was a whispered but clear statement.

Taken aback, Laxus could not disguise his surprise. "Wh-What are you saying?"

Freed then heaves out a sigh. "Like I said Laxus, you're not very good at sneaking women around!"

After the initial shock, Laxus recovers briefly, only to feel a slight tinge of irritation. "Why didn't you say something before?"

Bickslow gives their leader an unimpressed look. "Would you have listened to us if we had said something?" When Laxus didn't have a reply and rather looked like a fish with the way he was gaping, the Seith Mage makes his point. "Exactly!"

"Were you able to talk to her after the incident?" asks Freed next. When Laxus shakes his head no, Freed hums. "Figured as much. . . What about Cana?"

As the taller man shakes his head once more, Freed had to voice out his curiosity. "How did this even happen, Laxus? Were you not happy with Lucy?"

Freed's questions were a repetitive punch to his gut. As the reality and seriousness of the questions heavily sinks in, Laxus feels an agonizing scream lodged in his throat. He wishes to muster his cockiness and glare at his friend for even daring to ask such absurd questions.

But he couldn't. After all, his actions alone had led them to think that way, didn't it?

"I love Lucy!" Laxus declares with certainty. "What happened with Cana . . . was a mistake. We were both drunk when it first happened. I met her at a bar the night Lucy left for a mission with the fire breathing idiot. I was upset that she left without informing me." A dry chuckle escapes his lips. "I was drinking my sorrows away. Then one drink led to another. And well, by the end of the night, I was a slobbering mess. Next thing I remember is waking up in an unknown surrounding with someone else that wasn't Lucy." He then recalls the overwhelming guilt he felt following the realization. "I didn't know what to do. The guilt was tearing me apart. So no matter the outcome, I decided to confess to Lucy. But Cana begged me not to." There is a pause before he continues again, "So we both decided to leave it behind, forget it ever happened and never repeat it again. Yet . . . " Laxus whispers shakily. "Yet, I have no answer why it kept happening."

He had confessed to Lucy of his one month long affair with Cana. And as far as he recalls, he had slept with their guild's drunkard not more than four times, his guilt not letting him live it down.

Still, that does not justify cheating on her in the first place, huh! Because at the end of the day, the fact remains that he had hurt Lucy.

"Geez! What were you guys even thinking?" Evergreen's outburst breaks him out of his turmoil. "To think even Cana would cheat on Bacchus!"

Laxus snaps his head up so fast he thinks he might have pulled a nerve. Uncaring, he stares at the girl bewildered. "Cana and Bacchus?"

Eyes widened, Evergreen cocks her brows. "You didn't know?" Seeing the perplexed look on his face, she mutters a low 'Ofcourse you didn't!' before answering. "They have been dating ever since you and Lucy started dating."

Laxus wasn't aware he had screwed up this much. Why didn't Cana tell him about her relationship with the man?

"Because she loves you!" Evergreen answers his unvoiced question. "She always loved you. You never noticed because you're as dense as a rock." Laxus didn't even have the strength to electrocute the female into oblivion for her comment. Cana loves him?

"Now that you're aware of her feelings for you, let me ask you again." Freed looks at him straight in the eyes. "Do you love Cana?"

Without any hesitation, Laxus replies. "I don't. I always thought of her as a guild mate. Nothing more."

Satisfied with his answer, Freed nods his head.

"What are you going to do now?" asks Bickslow with all seriousness. Looking at the distraught man, he could clearly notice the bags under his eyes. Laxus may not want people to see him weak but the Raijinshuu knew better. This situation with Lucy was killing the lightning dragon slayer. And even though all three knew Laxus deserves whatever he was going through now after hurting the most beautiful soul to ever grace Earthland, they couldn't bear to see him broken. "Tell us what you want us to do? We'll help you Laxus."

Laxus looks up at Bickslow and the rest in shock. His team manages to catch him off guard once again.

"Look, what you did was unacceptable. And trust me when I say we're very disappointed in you." Evergreen levels Laxus with a stern glare before a soft look adorns her face. "But we also know you're regretting your actions." A pause. "You are, aren't you?" The unwavering glare was back.

Laxus gulps but nods firmly. "I made a grave mistake which won't happen again. I'm gonna do everything I can to make this right!" He then looks at all three individually with a small upturn of his lips. "Thank you."

Surprise plasters on their faces because Laxus never thanks anyone. With a small flinch, Laxus realizes he really was an asshole to everyone.

He sighs for the umpteenth time and ignores their shocked expressions. "I know you guys want to help me. But I feel this is something I should work out on my own. After all, I made the mess. I drove her away."

Freed hums with a smile, full of pride. "Know that we're always with you, Laxus!" Evergreen and Bickslow nods in agreement.

Laxus chuckles with content. "Enough of this sappiness. Let's move out!" Holding back his laughter when the group simultaneously clears their throat and tries to recuperate their status as the tough group, Laxus leads the way once again. Knowing his team was by his side, he feels more determined about his quest.

Laxus Dreyar will definitely win Lucy Heartfilia back.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

 _ **~Mrs Dreyar**_


End file.
